The Atlanta Hawks were in San Antonio on Thursday night to face the Spurs. Coming off a loss against the Detroit Pistons at home, the Hawks were back on the road for two games, and luckily enough, they
were able to get Kristaps Porzingis and Zaccharie Risacher back. On the other hand, the Spurs were missing some of their key players, as Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper were out with injuries.
The Hawks let the three-ball fly early against the Spurs, and Porzingis got one to go to give him 10,000 career points. It was a back-and-forth game throughout the quarter, and the Hawks used ball movement like always to stay afloat. Jalen Johnson found Onyeka Okongwu cutting to the basket for an easy dunk.
Minutes later, Okongwu knocked down a three-pointer, something he’s been doing at a high rate this season.
The three-pointers didn’t stop there, as Vit Krejci and Luke Kennard got back-to-back shots to extend the Hawks’ lead toward the end of the first. Going into the second, the Hawks led 34-28.
The defense was strong to start the second, and Porzingis got an easy block off the backboard.
Though the defense was strong at the moment, as the quarter continued, it started to decline as the Spurs took the lead and Keldon Johnson began knocking down several three-pointers. The Hawks stayed in a drought for some time, and the Spurs extended their lead.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker did his best to keep the Hawks alive with his three-point shooting.
Johnson showed off his footwork for this easy score in the paint.
After a rough shooting half, Zaccharie Risacher got an easy dunk to go from a pass from Johnson.
Though the Hawks continued to stack points, they couldn’t get stops on the other end, which hurt them the most. Toward the end of the first half, the Hawks were able to cut down their deficit as much as 13 points, but they went into halftime down 74-60.
The Hawks came out fighting in the third quarter, despite being down double digits. Alexander-Walker kept the three-pointers going, and he helped the Hawks cut their deficit down to single digits.
The Spurs left Johnson for a moment on this possession, and he took advantage of it by driving to the lane and getting Porzingis a lob.
The Hawks kept at it, as they continued to knock down shots and get stops on the other end. Kennard was wide open for a two-pointer to cut the Hawks deficit to two.
Keaton Wallace hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game late in the third.
The Hawks went into the fourth down 95-92, and they kept the hot shooting going. Of course, Okongwu was a part of that hot shooting.
The Hawks eventually took the lead after Alexander-Walker drove to the lane for a layup, but the Spurs got it back after a three-pointer from Devin Vassell. The Hawks missed some shots and had some turnovers from there, and the Spurs capitalized, extending their lead.
Dyson Daniels tried to stop the bleeding for the Hawks, and got a tough layup to go.
Alexander-Walker kept fighting to the end and eclipsed the 30-point mark.
There was still enough time for the Hawks to make one more run, but the turnovers continued to pile up and they couldn’t get stops on the other end. In the end, the Spurs walked away with the win.
Alexander-Walker finished with 38 points, Johnson finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, and Porzingis finished with 16 points.
The Hawks will be back in action on Saturday to face the New Orleans Pelicans.
